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The living room is the entertainment centre of the home, but that does not mean your living area has to be dominated by electronic entertainment.

Granted, most of us don’t want to throw away the TV, but consider out-of-sight, out-of-mind storage for all the electronic paraphernalia that crowds our modern lives. Rather than turning on the box for entertainment, encourage the family to use the living room for other purposes. Whether it’s socialising with friends, playing a board game or doing a jigsaw puzzle, indulging in some knitting or stitching, playing with toys or reading a book, the living area is a great place for the family to congregate. It’s amazing how more readily the family will congregate and communicate if they’ve got a comfortable space to do it in.

The three most important aspects of living room décor are plenty of comfortable seating, ample storage, and decent coffee table space. When choosing living room furniture, keep these three things in mind. The couch and coffee table will be some of the most-used furniture pieces in your home and it is worth paying a premium to get the best quality you can afford. Having adequate storage means you can make the living room an activity centre, but you can also keep it tidy for when company arrives.

Once the basic furniture is sorted out, turn your mind to decorating the living room. Placement of furniture is important in the living room, especially the location of the TV, creating an area for conversation and having enough room for other activities. Use the living room walls as a showcase of your family’s life; display photos, quilts or artwork that have family significance. Overall, make your living room a place where family members enjoy being and it will become the heart of your home.